Relieving letter format
Relieving letters confirm one thing: the person was released on a stated date, with nothing outstanding. The next employer usually wants it before joining.
Letterhead [COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY ADDRESS] Ref: [RELIEVING LETTER REFERENCE] Date: [DATE OF ISSUE] Release TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN This is to confirm that [FULL NAME OF EMPLOYEE], employee ID [EMPLOYEE ID], served as [LAST JOB TITLE HELD] with [COMPANY NAME] from [DATE OF JOINING] until [LAST WORKING DAY]. [FULL NAME] is relieved of all duties with effect from the close of [LAST WORKING DAY]. Clearance Handover completed and accepted by [HANDOVER RECIPIENT] on [HANDOVER DATE]. Company property returned in full. Dues settled: [SETTLED / TO BE SETTLED BY [SETTLEMENT DATE]] No amount remains outstanding from either side. Signature For [COMPANY NAME] [SIGNATORY NAME] [SIGNATORY TITLE] [SIGNATORY EMAIL] Company stamp
Before you send it
- Issue it after the last working day, never before. A relieving letter is a statement of fact.
- Do not sign it until handover is accepted and property is back.
- Where dues are still pending, say so and name the settlement date rather than claiming they are closed.
- Keep it to one page. Everything descriptive belongs in the experience certificate.
- Send it to the person's personal email. Their work account is closed by now.
Questions people ask about this letter
Why does a new employer ask for a relieving letter?
As evidence the person left cleanly, with notice served and nothing outstanding. The practice is common across South Asia and parts of the Gulf, and much rarer elsewhere, so a candidate from another market may never have been given one.
Can it be issued before the last working day?
It should not be. The letter states that handover is complete and property is returned, and neither of those is true yet. Issuing it early turns a clearance document into a promise you may not be able to keep.
What if dues are still being processed?
Issue the letter and say plainly that settlement is due by a named date. Holding the letter back over a pending payment can stop someone starting a new job, which helps nobody and is remembered for a long time.